Tuition by State: Median Published In-State Rates (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Headline takeaways: National median (public four-year): $8,645 published in-state (across institutions in this extract); National median (public two-year): $4,280; States listed (public four-year): 58.
The charts rank median published in-state tuition by state for public institutions from the latest processed institution extract— a read on which states land higher or lower for residents in the public four-year and two-year sectors separately.
The line charts trace median resident tuition by reporting year from College Scorecard fields (e.g. 2015.cost.tuition.in_state) with year-specific sector flags; the bar charts use the same extract at a single snapshot.
National tuition inflation and cost growth over time are covered on a separate page.
Key Facts
- National median (public four-year): $8,645 published in-state (across institutions in this extract)
- National median (public two-year): $4,280
- States listed (public four-year): 58
- States listed (public two-year): 49
- Trend lines (Scorecard API): 2026-04-01 — years 2015–2024
Median in-state tuition over time (public four-year)
Reading the trend
Each series is the median of published in-state tuition among institutions classified as public four-year in that reporting year. “U.S.” pools all states.
Median in-state tuition over time (public two-year)
Reading the trend
Each series is the median published in-state tuition among public institutions whose highest degree awarded is associate in that reporting year (community and technical colleges). “U.S.” pools all states; medians can move when institutions change sector reporting.
Median in-state tuition by state (public four-year)
Cross-state comparison
States are sorted by median published in-state tuition (highest first). Bar length shows relative cost for resident students at public four-year institutions in our dataset.
Median of published in-state tuition across public four-year institutions per state. Source: EDsmart Data aggregation from College Scorecard–based school profiles.
Public four-year: figures by state
| State | Abbr | Median in-state | Mean in-state | Institutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | AK | $7,263 | $7,106 | 4 |
| Alabama | AL | $11,248 | $11,102 | 13 |
| Arkansas | AR | $8,508 | $8,669 | 11 |
| American Samoa | AS | $5,460 | $5,460 | 1 |
| Arizona | AZ | $12,051 | $10,358 | 5 |
| California | CA | $7,430 | $7,055 | 48 |
| Colorado | CO | $9,536 | $8,646 | 22 |
| Connecticut | CT | $15,372 | $15,006 | 10 |
| District of Columbia | DC | $6,152 | $6,152 | 1 |
| Delaware | DE | $10,314 | $10,453 | 3 |
| Florida | FL | $3,160 | $3,877 | 40 |
| Micronesia | FM | $5,050 | $5,050 | 1 |
| Georgia | GA | $5,392 | $5,631 | 27 |
| Guam | GU | $4,762 | $4,762 | 2 |
| Hawaii | HI | $7,711 | $7,723 | 4 |
| Iowa | IA | $10,497 | $10,396 | 3 |
| Idaho | ID | $8,356 | $7,340 | 5 |
| Illinois | IL | $13,083 | $13,524 | 12 |
| Indiana | IN | $9,254 | $9,245 | 15 |
| Kansas | KS | $8,665 | $7,892 | 8 |
| Kentucky | KY | $10,513 | $10,908 | 8 |
| Louisiana | LA | $8,662 | $8,873 | 14 |
| Massachusetts | MA | $11,883 | $12,788 | 14 |
| Maryland | MD | $9,885 | $10,201 | 12 |
| Maine | ME | $10,920 | $10,845 | 7 |
| Marshall Islands | MH | $6,840 | $6,840 | 1 |
| Michigan | MI | $14,190 | $11,970 | 21 |
| Minnesota | MN | $10,417 | $11,942 | 12 |
| Missouri | MO | $9,770 | $10,532 | 12 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | MP | $4,038 | $4,038 | 1 |
| Mississippi | MS | $8,848 | $8,887 | 8 |
| Montana | MT | $6,430 | $6,135 | 9 |
| North Carolina | NC | $7,317 | $7,438 | 17 |
| North Dakota | ND | $8,514 | $7,676 | 9 |
| Nebraska | NE | $8,291 | $8,518 | 6 |
| New Hampshire | NH | $14,710 | $14,402 | 5 |
| New Jersey | NJ | $15,700 | $15,367 | 13 |
| New Mexico | NM | $7,260 | $7,085 | 9 |
| Nevada | NV | $4,110 | $5,648 | 7 |
| New York | NY | $8,577 | $8,230 | 40 |
| Ohio | OH | $7,275 | $8,574 | 40 |
| Oklahoma | OK | $7,513 | $7,524 | 15 |
| Oregon | OR | $12,344 | $12,434 | 8 |
| Pennsylvania | PA | $14,620 | $14,581 | 37 |
| Puerto Rico | PR | $5,354 | $5,245 | 13 |
| Rhode Island | RI | $13,697 | $13,697 | 2 |
| South Carolina | SC | $11,640 | $11,848 | 13 |
| South Dakota | SD | $9,000 | $7,593 | 9 |
| Tennessee | TN | $10,114 | $10,147 | 10 |
| Texas | TX | $8,484 | $7,479 | 54 |
| Utah | UT | $6,391 | $6,945 | 7 |
| Virginia | VA | $14,559 | $15,188 | 15 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | VI | $5,612 | $5,612 | 1 |
| Vermont | VT | $15,145 | $15,145 | 2 |
| Washington | WA | $4,989 | $6,196 | 38 |
| Wisconsin | WI | $8,487 | $8,534 | 15 |
| West Virginia | WV | $8,837 | $8,362 | 12 |
| Wyoming | WY | $4,680 | $5,083 | 5 |
Median in-state tuition by state (public two-year)
Cross-state comparison
States are sorted by median published in-state tuition (highest first) for public two-year institutions (associate as highest degree). Bar length reflects relative resident tuition across community and technical colleges in our snapshot.
Median of published in-state tuition across public two-year institutions per state. Source: EDsmart Data aggregation from College Scorecard–based school profiles.
Public two-year: figures by state
| State | Abbr | Median in-state | Mean in-state | Institutions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | AL | $5,040 | $5,216 | 23 |
| Arkansas | AR | $3,516 | $3,698 | 22 |
| Arizona | AZ | $2,358 | $2,342 | 20 |
| California | CA | $1,288 | $1,352 | 99 |
| Colorado | CO | $4,420 | $4,166 | 6 |
| Connecticut | CT | $5,092 | $5,092 | 1 |
| Florida | FL | $2,506 | $2,506 | 1 |
| Georgia | GA | $3,172 | $3,242 | 23 |
| Hawaii | HI | $3,209 | $3,220 | 6 |
| Iowa | IA | $6,140 | $5,991 | 16 |
| Idaho | ID | $3,390 | $3,374 | 3 |
| Illinois | IL | $4,390 | $4,484 | 48 |
| Indiana | IN | $4,912 | $4,912 | 1 |
| Kansas | KS | $3,968 | $4,498 | 23 |
| Kentucky | KY | $4,656 | $4,662 | 16 |
| Louisiana | LA | $4,220 | $4,319 | 14 |
| Massachusetts | MA | $5,688 | $5,682 | 15 |
| Maryland | MD | $4,104 | $4,223 | 16 |
| Maine | ME | $3,864 | $3,790 | 7 |
| Michigan | MI | $4,566 | $4,537 | 25 |
| Minnesota | MN | $6,164 | $6,017 | 28 |
| Missouri | MO | $4,342 | $4,681 | 14 |
| Mississippi | MS | $3,865 | $3,835 | 15 |
| Montana | MT | $3,975 | $3,828 | 9 |
| North Carolina | NC | $2,542 | $2,450 | 56 |
| North Dakota | ND | $5,347 | $5,128 | 5 |
| Nebraska | NE | $3,600 | $3,985 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | NH | $7,090 | $7,049 | 7 |
| New Jersey | NJ | $5,082 | $5,194 | 19 |
| New Mexico | NM | $2,004 | $2,145 | 19 |
| New York | NY | $6,077 | $6,063 | 36 |
| Ohio | OH | $4,976 | $5,276 | 18 |
| Oklahoma | OK | $5,032 | $5,007 | 13 |
| Oregon | OR | $5,544 | $5,640 | 17 |
| Pennsylvania | PA | $6,270 | $6,425 | 17 |
| Puerto Rico | PR | $1,618 | $2,308 | 3 |
| Palau | PW | $3,730 | $3,730 | 1 |
| Rhode Island | RI | $5,326 | $5,326 | 1 |
| South Carolina | SC | $5,046 | $5,587 | 19 |
| South Dakota | SD | $7,587 | $7,475 | 4 |
| Tennessee | TN | $4,540 | $4,581 | 13 |
| Texas | TX | $2,933 | $3,088 | 41 |
| Utah | UT | $4,257 | $4,257 | 1 |
| Virginia | VA | $4,928 | $5,173 | 23 |
| Vermont | VT | $3,560 | $3,560 | 1 |
| Washington | WA | $4,746 | $4,840 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | WI | $4,724 | $4,676 | 14 |
| West Virginia | WV | $4,881 | $4,872 | 8 |
| Wyoming | WY | $4,410 | $4,510 | 3 |
Analysis & insights
The page layers two views: a one-year map of typical in-state public tuition by state and, where the series exists, College Scorecard trend lines. The latest snapshot puts some of the steepest state medians in places like NJ ($15,700), CT ($15,372), VT ($15,145); the lower end includes FL ($3,160), MP ($4,038), NV ($4,110). The gap reflects who reports, how state systems are organized, and small-sample noise as much as any single policy story. National midpoints in this file run near $8,645 for public four-year institutions and $4,280 for public two-year—benchmarks, not judgments. Thin files and small systems swing harder year to year than California- or Texas-sized enrollments.
The trends follow Scorecard medians by year. From 2015 to 2024, the national median for public four-year in-state tuition in this extract moves from about $7,646 to about $8,815. The line records the series; it does not by itself explain budgets, politics, or aid. Institutions enter and leave the file, definitions shift, and state traces can converge or diverge as economies move. The figures are listed tuition—the sticker—not net price after grants, and program-level fees often sit far from the median.
FAQ
Tuition across states
What does median in-state tuition by state represent?
It summarizes typical published resident tuition among institutions included in the extract for each state—not what every student pays after aid, and not a single campus quote.
Why can two neighboring states show very different medians?
Funding models, mandatory fees, mix of two-year vs four-year campuses, and how many institutions report complete fields all shift medians. Thin coverage (few campuses) can make small states look volatile.
How do time-series tuition charts relate to snapshot bar ranks?
Lines track annual reporting fields where available; bars often reflect the latest processed snapshot. Compare years explicitly—policy changes (freeze years, cuts) show up in the series before they stabilize in rankings.
Should readers use these medians for transfer or cross-border planning?
Use them as orientation only. Residency rules, reciprocity programs, and campus-specific fees determine actual billed amounts—verify with the registrar or financial aid office.
Why might these medians differ from college guides or news averages?
Different samples (sector filters, institutions included), academic years, and weighting (IPEDS vs Scorecard universe) produce different averages—stick to one official source per paragraph.
Using this page
What does this page cover on “Tuition by State: Median Published In-State Rates”?
This page summarizes Tuition by State: Median Published In-State Rates using EDsmart’s processed tables and charts. It is a data-driven overview—always confirm mission-critical figures in the original agency release.
Which sources power the numbers here?
See the Data Sources section on this page for linked agencies, datasets, and vintage notes.
Why might these figures differ from another chart or headline?
If another outlet shows a different total, check whether the cohort (all borrowers vs undergraduates only), academic year, and data source match. Mixing definitions is the most common reason charts appear to conflict.
How often is this page updated?
We refresh when upstream federal releases change and the site rebuild ships new CSV/JSON extracts. The Last updated line points to the latest editorial pass on this HTML.
Data Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard — institution-level data underlying school profiles.
- College tuition inflation (national trends)
- In-state vs out-of-state tuition comparison